WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia

WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over next 5 years

MATTER OF FACT. FOUR YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND, GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TRIGGERED A WAVE OF PROTESTS AGAINST POLICE VIOLENCE AND DEMANDS FOR RACIAL EQUALITY. SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS GRAPPLED WITH HOW TO RESPOND, BRINGING IN ADVISERS AND CREATING POSITIONS FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY. THAT WAS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN MINNEAPOLIS, THE EPICENTER OF THE UNREST THERE. AN EXECUTIVE OF THE NBA’S MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES HAD AN IDEA HE REACHED OUT TO TRU PETTIGREW, WHO DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A BRIDGE BUILDER WHO HELPS PEOPLE CONNECT ACROSS DIFFERENCES. WELL, PETTIGREW IS NOW THE CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER FOR THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE WNBA LYNX. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. NO, THANK YOU, SOLEDAD. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU HAVE I’VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GEORGE FLOYD’S FAMILY. HOW DID THAT START? WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED WITH THE TIMBERWOLVES AND THE LYNX IN 2020, THERE WAS STILL SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING AND HEALING THAT WAS NECESSARY. AND A PART OF THAT PUT ME IN A POSITION TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE GEORGE FLOYD FAMILY, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY BEGAN TO COME BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE CHAUVIN TRIALS AND I MADE A COMMITMENT TO THEM THAT WHENEVER YOU’RE BACK IN MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE FOR THE TRIAL, THAT YOU’RE YOU’RE WELCOME TO COME TO GAMES. THAT WAS A WELCOME DISTRACTION FOR THEM. AND IT SEEMS SO EASY AND MINOR FOR US, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY BIG DEAL FOR THEM. HOW DO YOU FORM BONDS WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME ISSUES THAT ARE YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN’T JUST START WITH THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD, RIGHT. PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THESE ARE DECADES LONG, CENTURIES LONG ISSUES. TO BE FAIR, THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO FOCUS ON WAS BUILDING SOME BRIDGES OF LEGITIMACY, TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THOSE WERE FACILITATED DIALOGS AND CONVERSATIONS. GETTING THE OFFICERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAYERS FEEL PREDOMINANTLY BLACK, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY THEY FEEL THE WAY THEY DO ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, THE CIRCUMSTANCE AND THE SITUATION, BUT ALSO FOR THE PLAYERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE OFFICERS FEEL AND WHY THEY FEEL THAT WAY. LET’S FAST FORWARD NOW FOUR YEARS. UM, HOW HAS THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE POLICE, BETWEEN THE PLAYERS AND THE COMMUNITY, BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY? HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THAT CHANGE? IT’S BEEN SO ENCOURAGING AND AFFIRMING TO KNOW THAT THE SEEDS THAT WE PLANTED FOUR YEARS AGO, AND WE’VE CONTINUED TO WATER THOSE SEEDS THAT THEY’RE SPROUTING, WE STARTED A SERIES CALLED BARBERSHOP RAP SESSIONS, WHERE WE INVITE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INTO A LOCAL BARBERSHOP. I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE CHIEF O’HARA, THE CURRENT POLICE CHIEF OF MINNEAPOLIS, WAS ALL ON BOARD WITH BRINGING SOME OF HIS OFFICERS INTO THE BARBERSHOP TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE RECOGNIZING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED BY ANY STING OF OPPRESSION OR DISCRIMINATION ARE THE ONES BEST POSITIONED TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE SOLUTIONS ARE INDEPENDENT OF, INCLUDING THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY. WHY DO YOU THINK SPORTS TEAMS ARE A REALLY GOOD, UM, CONNECTOR? WELL, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE ROLE THAT SPORTS PLAYS IN OUR SOCIETY, IT’S BRINGING PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE TOGETHER TO ROOT FOR AND CHEER FOR AND CELEBRATE THE SAME TEAM. SO YOU’VE GOT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACES, ETHNICITIES, GENDERS THAT ARE ALL COMING TOGETHER FOR THE SAME CAUSE. AND I THINK THAT IS A BIT OF A MICROCOSM OF WHAT IT CAN BE FOR SOCIETY. AND NOW WE CAN, INSTEAD OF JUST USING IT FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, LET’S USE IT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. FOR KARL ANTHONY TOWNS TO BE THE KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPION AWARD WINNER FOR MIKE CONLEY TO BE TEAMMATE OF THE YEAR FOR NAZ REID, TO BE SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR FOR US TO KEEP RAGGING ON YOUR TEAM, GO AHEAD. I GOT I GOT ALL DAY. COME ON. I DON’T THINK ANY OF THESE THINGS ARE A COINCIDENCE. I THINK IT’S BECAUSE THE CULTURE HAS ADOPTED A BRIDGE BUILDING MENTALITY, A SPIRIT AND A CULTURE OF INCLUSION THAT HAS PERMEATED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND HOW WE SHOW UP EXTERNALLY I

Updated: 9:24 AM CDT Jun 30, 2025

Editorial Standards ��

WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over next 5 years

Updated: 9:24 AM CDT Jun 30, 2025

Editorial Standards ��

The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030.Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,�� WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.“It’s such a natural fit that when you already have this basketball-related infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful, combinations of personnel that you find to be successful,�� said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cavaliers. “Extending that into the WNBA, is just a natural next progression, especially if you have a desire to grow like we do.”Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,�� Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition. Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plans will bring new energy, investment and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.”Detroit sports stars Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff will have minority ownership stakes in the team.The Cleveland and Detroit ownership groups said the Rockers and Shock �� the names of the previous teams �� would be considered but they’d do their due diligence before deciding on what the franchises will be called.“Rockers will be a part of the mix for sure, but we are at this point, we’re not going to commit to a brand identity because we want to really get into it with our fans, do some research, be very thorough and thoughtful in that process,�� Barlage said.The Detroit and Cleveland teams will play at the NBA arenas that currently exist, while Philadelphia is planning on a new building that will be completed hopefully by 2030.“We tell the city it’s going to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,�� said Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Managing Partner and co-founder Josh Harris, who owns the 76ers. “So we’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver. But, right now it’s 2031, so that we have a year gap, you know. We’ve got the Xfinity center, the Wells Fargo, they’ll play there.”Adding these three teams will give the league more natural rivalries with another team on the East Coast and Detroit and Cleveland near each other.“I think there’s some great historical rivalries in the NBA among these cities and, I think that will carry over to the WNBA,�� Detroit Pistons vice president Arn Tellem said. “I would love nothing more to have a rivalry like we do in the NBA with Cleveland and Indiana, Philadelphia and New York and all these great cities and, and I think we will.”Other cities that bid on teams that didn’t get them include St. Louis; Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Houston; Miami; Denver; and Charlotte, N.C.“We didn’t know the demand would be where the demand ended up when we ran the process last fall into the winter,�� Engelbert said. “Given the very high demand and supply, we wanted to evaluate, too, because we’re very careful about, you know, making sure we’re balancing the number of roster spots, the number of teams.“But one thing I’m very struck by as we get into a new media deal, as the media market evolves, you know, being in these three big basketball cities is going to help from a media perspective, a corporate partners perspective.”All the metrics, such as attendance, television ratings and sponsorships, have been on the rise the last few seasons.“You’re seeing the key performance indicators around the business, but then also just the communal impact of having a women’s professional sports team,�� Barlage said. “The largest growing segment of our Cavs youth academy, which serves 60,000 kids across the state of Ohio and upstate New York, the fastest growing segment is girls. You know, it’s growing at a 30% clip year over year in participation rates. And so for us to be able to create role models, to be able to create symbols of progress, to create having ambassadors within the community representing all of these things.��

NEW YORK —

The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030.

Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,�� WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.��

All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.

“It’s such a natural fit that when you already have this basketball-related infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful, combinations of personnel that you find to be successful,�� said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cavaliers. “Extending that into the WNBA, is just a natural next progression, especially if you have a desire to grow like we do.��

Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.

“This is a huge win for Detroit and the WNBA,�� Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “Today marks the long-hoped-for return of the WNBA to a city with deep basketball roots and a championship tradition. Detroit played a key role in the league’s early growth, and we’re proud to reignite that legacy as the WNBA ascends to new heights. Our plans will bring new energy, investment and infrastructure to our city and the WNBA, and additional resources to our community.��

Detroit sports stars Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff will have minority ownership stakes in the team.

The Cleveland and Detroit ownership groups said the Rockers and Shock �� the names of the previous teams �� would be considered but they’d do their due diligence before deciding on what the franchises will be called.

“Rockers will be a part of the mix for sure, but we are at this point, we’re not going to commit to a brand identity because we want to really get into it with our fans, do some research, be very thorough and thoughtful in that process,�� Barlage said.

The Detroit and Cleveland teams will play at the NBA arenas that currently exist, while Philadelphia is planning on a new building that will be completed hopefully by 2030.

“We tell the city it’s going to open in 2031. We’re hoping for 2030,�� said Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Managing Partner and co-founder Josh Harris, who owns the 76ers. “So we’re trying to underpromise and overdeliver. But, right now it’s 2031, so that we have a year gap, you know. We’ve got the Xfinity center, the Wells Fargo, they’ll play there.��

Adding these three teams will give the league more natural rivalries with another team on the East Coast and Detroit and Cleveland near each other.

“I think there’s some great historical rivalries in the NBA among these cities and, I think that will carry over to the WNBA,�� Detroit Pistons vice president Arn Tellem said. “I would love nothing more to have a rivalry like we do in the NBA with Cleveland and Indiana, Philadelphia and New York and all these great cities and, and I think we will.��

Other cities that bid on teams that didn’t get them include St. Louis; Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; Houston; Miami; Denver; and Charlotte, N.C.

“We didn’t know the demand would be where the demand ended up when we ran the process last fall into the winter,�� Engelbert said. “Given the very high demand and supply, we wanted to evaluate, too, because we’re very careful about, you know, making sure we’re balancing the number of roster spots, the number of teams.

“But one thing I’m very struck by as we get into a new media deal, as the media market evolves, you know, being in these three big basketball cities is going to help from a media perspective, a corporate partners perspective.��

All the metrics, such as attendance, television ratings and sponsorships, have been on the rise the last few seasons.

“You’re seeing the key performance indicators around the business, but then also just the communal impact of having a women’s professional sports team,�� Barlage said. “The largest growing segment of our Cavs youth academy, which serves 60,000 kids across the state of Ohio and upstate New York, the fastest growing segment is girls. You know, it’s growing at a 30% clip year over year in participation rates. And so for us to be able to create role models, to be able to create symbols of progress, to create having ambassadors within the community representing all of these things.��

��������

WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over next 5 years

Share

Top Picks

��